Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Friends With Benefits [MA]


Dylan and Jamie are both unlucky in love. For them, relationships just suck. Upon being dumped at the same time, their paths cross when Jamie headhunts Dylan and brings him to New York for a job. The two then spark up a friendship and decide to have a purely physical relationship, free of any emotional complications. It starts out just great, but how long can it be before they start feeling something more? 

It seems that the whole no-strings-attached scenario is the most popular choice for romantic comedies at the moment. And I think I’ve worked out what sparked it: Love & Other Drugs. Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal’s strictly sexual relationship in that film is really what made the film intriguing and refreshing, but it wasn’t what the whole film was about. We then have Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman in No Strings Attached and now Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis join the ranks of strictly sexual romantic comedy enforcers. Although the story was predictable and not all that awe-inspiring to begin with, Friends With Benefits was actually a cute and enjoyable little film. I mean, it’s not the greatest romantic achievement in cinematic history, but it was still a nice little movie that eats up time better spent. 

Dylan and Jamie are both unlucky in love. For them, relationships just suck. Upon being dumped at the same time, their paths cross when Jamie headhunts Dylan and brings him to New York for a job. The two then spark up a friendship and then decide to turn that great friendship into a purely physical relationship, free of emotional complications. It starts out just great, but how long can it be before they start to feel something more? 

A film about essentially nothing but a strictly sexual relationship is not really the strongest base for a good film, but Friends With Benefits, armed with its witty script, biting attitude, and great performances made for nice, light, and refreshing entertainment. 
Justin Timberlake stars as Dylan and he delivered a performance that was cynical, charming, and a tad adorkable. He didn’t really do anything chivalrous, aside from the climactic gesture of love, and it was nice to see a character like that, one who was down to earth and easy to relate to. 
Mila Kunis stars as Jamie and she’s gorgous. Mila is another actress who really dominates a screen for me. She’s sexy and elegant, but at the same time, she’s the girl who would prefer to spend the night in with a friend watching a movie and drinking beer. There is something almost masculine about her and it’s a brilliant characteristic to see on screen. Don’t lose that Mila! In this film she gave a performance that was bubbly, aggressive, agile, and a tad psychotic. I loved her. 
Starring Emma Stone, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Jenkins, and Woody Harrelson, Friends With Benefits was a nice little film that was filled with witty dialogue, memorable characters, sex, comedy, the odd bit of drama, and romance. It’s a good one if you’re feeling like a night in and can’t really be bothered to focus too much. 

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